Coeliac disease is a condition in which gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye, triggers an inflammation and damages the lining of the small intestine. As a result, the bowel of a coeliac patient does not absorb nutrients properly. This week is a national coeliac awareness week titled 'A good store'.
– Many people may think that some coeliacs tolerate grains better than others, but this not the case. Treatment of coeliac disease requires complete exclusion of gluten from the diet. In other words, it is not a food allergy or an intolerance, it is a lifelong autoimmune disease and can be treated with a gluten-free diet only, says Specialist Nurse Minna Halve, who is the Finnish Coeliac Society's Regional Coordinator for Southern Finland.
Growing disease
According to Halve, some two percent of Finnish adults are estimated to suffer from coeliac disease, with most of them undiagnosed carriers. Nowadays many people have the disease without knowing it, because not everybody shows the typical stomach or skin symptoms, although the lining of small intestines has been damaged.
– The coeliac disease seems to have become more common and I believe that the demand for gluten-free foods will grow in the future, says Halve.
Emphasis on carefulness and cleanliness
The grains not suitable for coeliac sufferers must be replaced with grains naturally free from gluten in their diets, such as rice, buckwheat, millet, maize and different gluten-free special products.
– Gluten-free foods are often low in fibre, which is why you should favour products with high fibre content in cooking, says Halve.
In addition to actual grain products, for example, many sauce fonds, stock cubes and even roasted onion and many sweets contain gluten. Therefore product information on the packaging must be read carefully when making gluten-free foods.
In addition to ingredients, you should be careful in cooking and presenting, because gluten-free food must never come into contact with ingredients containing gluten. The pan must be washed carefully after frying a breaded steak, flour must not be left on baking tables or tableware, or on the cook's clothes and hands.
National coeliac awareness week 6-12 September
Coeliac disease can only be treated with a gluten-free diet, which makes food stores "pharmacies" for coeliac patients. This week's theme 'A Good Store!' reminds retail operators about the importance of offering gluten-free products and providing information on the coeliac disorder.
This week, several regional associations organise special events in food stores to enable customers to examine the product offer and location during guided shopping tours. Local coeliac associations also reward the best local stores for good service with 'A Good Store' diploma.
Last spring, the Uusimaa coeliac association rewarded K-supermarket Kamppi in Helsinki for their gluten-free product selection. The range includes some 165 different articles from bread to cheese, all displayed in a separate shelf for coeliac customers to find easily.
Source: Kesko Ltd's customer magazine 'Menu' 4/2010
More information on the coeliac disease and the coeliac awareness week is available at: www.keliakialiitto.fi